Recently in Michelin Category

A woman in Tokyo narrowly escaped death after eating the potentially poisonous puffer fish at a two-Michelin-starred restaurant.

The head chef at the Fugu Fukuji restaurant has been suspended following the incident, in which the woman fell ill after allegedly asking to be served the extremely toxic liver of the fish.

The diner recovered after being treated at a local hospital, but the Tokyo Metropolitan Government has temporarily withdrawn the licence of chief chef, Takeshi Yasuge, who may have his licence revoked, be fined or even jailed.

"I can't say anything else except that I am deeply sorry. I am just so sorry," the chef told JRT. "My heart is in chaos."

Eating 'fugu' puffer fish is widely viewed as the mealtime equivalent of Russian roulette. The fish contain a poison in their liver or ovaries that is 1,200 times more toxic than cyanide and kills within minutes by paralysing nerves and stopping the lungs.

Fugu chefs see themselves as an elite group - they must undergo three years of training followed by a test that just 35% pass  - and they are traditionally bound to commit ritual suicide with their fish knives if a customer dies after eating one of their meals.

In 2009, scientists managed to breed a non-lethal species of fugu. But many top fugu chefs rejected it, saying they prefer to take their chances with the potentially toxic wild fish.

Japan has confirmed its title as the world's leader of gastronomy as Michelin has awarded a total of 32 restaurants in the country with its top accolade of three stars.

Michelin today released its 2012 guide to Tokyo, promoting three new restaurants to three-stars including Sushi Yoshitake and Ryugin in Tokyo and Koan in Shonan. The Japanese capital now has 17 three-star restaurants.

After the release of its guide to western Japan last month, the country now boasts more three-Michelin-starred restaurants than France, which currently has 25.

However, the size and scale of the restaurant industry in Japan helps to partly explain its success when it comes to Michelin stars. There are around 160,000 restaurants Tokyo, compared with about 40,000 in Paris.

Michelin's 2012 Tokyo guide this year expanded its coverage to include the areas of Yokosuka, Hayama, Zushi, Fujisawa, Chigasaki, Hiratsuka, Oiso, Odawara and Yugawara.

A total of 57 restaurants gained two stars, with 13 new additions, including Korean restaurant Moranbong, which is the first in the world to achieve the award. Meanwhile 54 establishments celebrated their first star, bringing the total to 219.

Bernard Delmas, president of Nihon Michelin Tire, commented: "Thanks to our readers, we have reached the 5th anniversary of the Michelin guide in Japan. Since the first publication of the guide in 2007, we have enriched the selection by expanding the area."

He added: "We hope that readers from all over Japan and also from overseas will visit the shining stars in Tokyo Yokohama and Shonan and have a wonderful time. And we sincerely hope that we can contribute to Japan's restaurant and tourism industry by publishing this guide."

US chef Grant Achatz's Alinea has become the only three-starred restaurant in Chicago after L20 lost two stars in Michelin's second guide to the US city.

L20, whose famous chef, Laurent Gras, left the day after the restaurant gained its third star last year, has been demoted to one-star-status.

Charlie Trotter's and Ria have retained their two stars, while 18 establishments celebrated their first Michelin star.

Achatz's new restaurant Next, which has gained wide critical acclaim since opening in the spring, has failed to be recognised by Michelin. The restaurant is described as a "permanent pop-up", changing its menus entirely four times a year.

The Michelin guide Chicago 2012, which goes on sale on 16 November, features a total of 432 restaurants 45 types of cuisine, including 21 holding stars. It also lists 56 restaurants with Bib Gourmands serving two courses and a glass of wine or dessert for $40 or less.

The Chicago guide is Michelin's third US guide after New York and San Francisco and the Bay Area. Guides to Los Angeles and Las Vegas were discontinued.

Michelin has released its 2012 guide to Germany and has awarded La Vie in Osnabrück three stars and promoted a record number of 10 establishments to two-star-status.

Thomas Bühner's restaurant in the North West of Germany has won Michelin's top accolade after being tipped a rising three-star for two consecutive years.

With Nils Henkel's Gourmetrestaurant Lerbach losing its third star, Michelin's 2012 guide to Germany continues to list a total of nine three-star restaurants, more than any other European guide bar France.

Meanwhile 10 restaurants celebrated their second Michelin star. These include Lorenz Adlon and Reinstoff in the capital of Berlin; Schwingshackl Esskultur in Bernried and Kastell in Wernberg-Köblitz in Bavaria; and Rosin in Dorsten and La Vision in Cologne in North Rhine-Westphalia.

The North continues to dominate the ranks of Michelin-starred restaurants in Germany, with the new guide awarding a second star to four establishments in the region: Haerlin and Jacobs Restaurant in Hamburg; Buddenbrooks in Lübeck; and La Mer in List on the island of Sylt.

A total of 23 restaurants were awarded their first stars bringing the number of one-star establishments to 208. Overall Germany now has 249 restaurants holding one or more Michelin stars.

The number of Bib Gourmands, restaurants offering good food at moderate prices, rose by 45 and now totals 431.

The 2012 Michelin guide to Germany goes on sale on 11 November.

Thomas Keller's French Laundry and the Restaurant at Meadowood in Napa Valley in northern California have remained the only restaurants to hold three stars in the Michelin guide to San Francisco, the Bay Area and Wine Country.

The 2012 edition of the famous guide has awarded two establishments in San Francisco their second stars: Asian restaurant Benu and the American eatery Saison, as well as modern French restaurant Baumé in South Bay. The Californian guide now features six two-star restaurants including David Kinch's Manresa in Los Gatos in the Santa Cruz mountains, Daniel Patterson's Coi in San Francisco, and Cyrus in Sonoma.

Meanwhile, 20 restaurants celebrated their first Michelin star, bringing the total of one-star establishments in the guide to 39.

Now in its sixth edition, the Michelin guide to San Francisco, Bay Area and Wine Country, which was released yesterday (25 October), identified 77 restaurants as Bib Gourmands (19 new) - offering two courses and a glass of wine or dessert for less than $40 (£25).

It is one of three US guides, including New York, which recently awarded two new three- and two new two-stars, as well as Chicago, which will be released next month.

Earlier this month, San Francisco began discussing implementing a mandatory 25% service charge.

Michelin has today released its 2012 guide to the Kansai area in western Japan and has promoted three restaurants to its top rating of three-stars.

Covering the cities of Kyoto, Osaka, Kobe and for the first time Nara, the new guide features a total of 15 restaurants with three stars across the region. These include newcomers Fujiya 1935 and Koryu, both in Osaka, which have been promoted from two-star-status, as well as newcomer Wa Yamamura in Nara, which debuted with three stars.

Michelin also promoted 13 restaurants to two-star-status, bringing the total of two-starred establishments in the guide to 59.

A total of 222 restaurants hold one star in the new guide, with 61 restaurants celebrating a star for the first time.

In the 2012 guide to Kyoto, Osaka, Kobe and Nara 90% of the selection is made up of Japanese restaurants ranging from traditional Japanese to contemporary restaurants, while the remainder comprises steakhouses, French, Italian, Chinese and fusion restaurant.

Commenting on the new guide, Bernard Delmas, president of Nihon Michelin Tire said: "Japan is a unique country where many cities have a very high level of cuisine. This is why, even though we have reached the fifth anniversary of the Michelin guide in Japan, we continue to discover new stars to introduce to our readers."

Next to the guide to Kyoto, Osaka, Kobe and Nara, Michelin also publishes a guide to Tokyo, which will this year be extended to include the Shonan area, south west of the Japanese capital.

Michelin has awarded two new restaurants in New York with three stars, bringing the total of restaurants holding its top accolade in the US city to seven.

Eleven Madison Park in Manhattan and Chef's Table at Brooklyn Fare have joined the elite ranks of three-star restaurants, which also include Daniel, Jean-Georges, Le Bernardin, Masa and Per Se.

Restaurateur Danny Meyer's Eleven Madison Park, where chef Daniel Humm is in charge of the kitchen, was the biggest winner, jumping from one to three stars in the guide. Meanwhile Chef's Table at Brooklyn Fare, an 18-seat restaurant housed within a Brooklyn grocery store, jumped one after having been awarded its second star only last year.

SHO Shaun Hergatt and L'Atelier de Joël Robuchon were awarded two Michelin-stars each, extending French chef Robuchon's lead as the most starred chef in the world, with 27 in total. A total of nine New York restaurants now have two-stars, including Gordon Ramsay at the London hotel.

Meanwhile 10 establishments celebrated their first star bringing the total of Michelin-starred establishments in New York to 72, including 46 with one star.

The losers were Picholine, which lost one of its two stars, and Shalezeh, a Persian restaurant on the Upper East Side, which lost its single star.

The 2012 Michelin Guide to New York also identified 31 new restaurants as Bib Gourmands (offering two courses and a glass of wine or dessert for less than $40), bringing the total to 114.

Michelin's generous handing out of stars in New York gives hope to the UK, where only one restaurant - Alain Ducasse at the Dorchester - has won new three stars in the past seven guides. The 2012 Michelin guide to Great Britain and Ireland will be released tomorrow (6 October) at noon. Look out for full coverage on catererandhotelkeeper.com.

Michelin is expanding its Japanese coverage by extending its Tokyo guide to include the Shonan area, southwest of the Japanese capital.

The group's guide to Tokyo, which will be released in December, will also list hotels and restaurants in the cities of Yokohama and Kamakura.

Commenting on the release Bernard Delmas, president of Nihon Michelin Tire, said: "The Michelin guide is updated each year by offering a new selection of restaurants and hotels and by gradually expanding the covering area.

"In the fifth anniversary of the Michelin guide in Japan, I am pleased to offer a wider selection by expanding from Kamakura city to the Shonan area."

Published at the beginning of December, the new edition will be available in Japanese and English.

The current Michelin guide to Tokyo, Yokohama and Kamakura lists a total of 266 Michelin-starred establishments including 14 three-star, 54 two-star (52 in Tokyo) and a record 198 one-star restaurants (174 in Tokyo).

The Japanese capital has more starred restaurants than any other city including Paris. The size and scale of the restaurant industry in Tokyo helps to partly explain its success when it comes to Michelin stars as there are around 160,000 restaurants compared with about 40,000 in Paris.

Michelin now publishes 26 guides covering 23 countries in Europe, the USA and Asia, where it also has guides to Kyoto, Osaka and Kobe; and Hong Kong and Macau.

Michelin has brought forward the publication of its 2012 guide to Great Britain and Ireland, which will be released on 6 October this year, it has been confirmed.

Traditionally the guide is published towards the end of January, which means this year the guide has to go press three months earlier than usual, which will no doubt affect the rating of some of the more recent, high profile restaurant openings. 

A spokesman for the company said it was a decision made by Michelin's head office in France to bring the UK edition inline with the other European guides.

"All the other country guides, except for France, are published before Christmas so Michelin has made the decision to bring forward the publication of the Great Britain and Ireland guide for business reasons," he said.

Meanwhile, the publication of Michelin's Eating Out in Pubs guide has been pushed back from September to 4 November.  

The new Michelin Guide France has awarded a wealth of new stars in this year's guide seeing 46 new one-star restaurants and five new two-stars. The number of three-star restaurants in France reduced to 25 after Michel Trama in Puymirol lost it's third star.